£30m Everton defender Michael Keane was left red-faced by Jamie Vardy during Wednesday’s EFL Cup quarter-final defeat to Leicester City at Goodison Park.
Michael Keane would have woken up in cold sweats last night, his dreams haunted by the taunting Yorkshire drawl of Jamie Vardy.
The prospect of marking Leicester City’s evergreen number nine would give almost any centre-back in the game nightmares and Keane, a £30 million defender and an established England international, was given the runaround at Goodison Park by football’s most irritating opponent.
Vardy might not have got himself on the scoresheet during a thrilling 2-2 EFL Cup quarter-final on Wednesday night – unless you count his winning penalty in the shoot-out – but it was he who once again set the tone for Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes, chasing the ball like a yappy little terrier and giving Keane barely a second of peace throughout.
So, with Carlo Ancelotti packing his bags and preparing to swap Naples for Merseyside, Keane could hardly have picked a worse time to remind everyone of his deficiencies – namely a tendency to panic under pressure and a passing range that leaves a lot to be desired.
Ancelotti has worked with some of the very best defenders in the game, from Sergio Ramos to Kalidou Koulibaly, John Terry to Alessandro Nesta. Keane will have to undergo one hell of a transformation if he is to join that illustrious list.
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